The Rundown: Machado Speaks, Manfred Threatens, Opponents Don’t Like Contreras’s Body Language
Random thoughts this morning:
“As a rule, we will not be paying premiums for rentals. We just won’t. It’s hard to build an organization that way.” Theo Epstein said that and I tend to believe he is the most transparent front office executive in sports. A lot writers are trying to find a hidden meaning there but I don’t think one exists. A trade of Machado straight up for Addison Russell would be in Epstein’s wheelhouse. Anything added to that would be the premium. So I think it just depends on what the Orioles want to do because we know what Epstein will do.
What if the Cubs had the opportunity to move Jason Heyward before the deadline? How much of his remaining salary would they have to eat and at what salary would Heyward be palatable for another team? What if they could package the defense-first right fielder into a deal with the Orioles for Machado? It would be complicated, and Epstein would then have to add premium to the deal. It’s really a moot point anyway, since Heyward has a no-trade clause.
Commissioner Rob Manfred is hungry to make baseball more appealing to younger fans, but telling players they can’t create their own identities on the field doesn’t seem particularly helpful to that cause. Case in point, Willson Contreras had been wearing a sleeve that represented Venezuela, his home country. If you have been following the news leading up to yesterday’s elections in Venezuela you may understand his personal statement. Manfred told him to remove the sleeve.
According to Gabe Lacques of USA Today, the league and the MLB Players Association have been in contact since spring training about adding “flexibility” to the league’s uniform policy. It is unclear if these efforts will be accelerated in light of recent player criticism, but it will certainly raise more awareness toward the policies.
In recent weeks, the uniform police have cracked down on Ben Zobrist for his all black-cleats, on Indians pitcher Mike Clevinger for his psychedelic-inspired shoes, and on Royals pitcher Jakob Junis for his barely-noticeable departure from the league-mandated uniform color ratio. Players are given little choice but to comply; Manfred’s staff has threatened that they’ll “be subject to further discipline, including assessment of a fine” if players violate the collectively bargained uniform standards. Seems awfully petty.
Speaking of Contreras and pettiness, ESPN’s Buster Olney wrote over the weekend that “opponents often complain about the catcher’s body language, suggesting that he’s just trying to call attention to himself.” Contreras is aware of what is being said, and quietly responded by saying, “I hope I can get to know players on other teams better, and that way, they’ll get to know me better.” Of course, Contreras is no Amir Garrett.
Amir Garrett strikes out Javy Baez, words are exchanged, then the Reds & Cubs benches clear.
STREAM: https://t.co/2r4aSph8hb pic.twitter.com/U8DeAXURAI
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) May 19, 2018
- Gleyber Torres – In a clash of generations, the 21-year-old Torres and 44-year-old Bartolo Colon squared off on Monday as the Yankees visited the Rangers. Torres won the battle twice, drilling a two-run home run off of Colon in the 2nd inning and a solo shot off of Colon in the 4th. The former Cubs prospect finished with three RBI on the night.
- Nick Pivetta – The Phillies’ starter allowed only four hits, walked one and won his third straight start, defeating the first place Braves 3-0. Pivetta finished with seven strikeouts.
- Mark Reynolds – The veteran slugger was 3-5 with two home runs and two RBI, leading the nationals to a 10-2 victory over the Padres.
- One issue that has often been overlooked when discussing “bullpenning” is the inevitable labor issue. Right now, starting pitchers make significantly more money than relief pitchers.
- After hitting more than 500 home runs in the major leagues, Rafael Palmeiro went deep Monday night for the first time in his return to baseball with an independent team. The ageless slugger connected in the 5th inning for the Cleburne Railroaders, who went on lose 4-3 in 11 innings against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.
- “You know what? It is out of my hands. I can’t control that. Just try to go out there and win games and do as much as I can for my ballclub. I don’t get distracted by any of this. All these talks, rumors, at the end of the day, I have to go out there and perform. We are trying to make a push for things and we’re a little behind, but we have to keep pushing forward.” – Manny Machado
- “We haven’t really talked about any of that. [Albert Almora Jr.] loves the team and he got a ring before I did. That’s about it. As kids growing up, we played together and when we were playing in his backyard growing up we dreamed about playing together someday in the big leagues. Be on the same field and win a World Series together. That is every kid’s dream.” – Manny Machado
- “He’s a special talent, and he’s really become such an all-around teammate, everything. He’s really reached a level of maturity that has been fun to watch. See him as kind of a puppy years ago, so to speak, believe me he’s on the front porch now with the rest of the big dogs. I know what it looks like on paper and I hope we win the next 20 games and he’s here all year.” – Buck Showalter
Tuesday Walk Up Song
Only Wanna Be With You by Hootie & The Blowfish. The band is back together, and if you haven’t heard their new single, Get Out of My Mind, it’s not bad, though be prepared for a very vintage sound. Check it out on Spotify or Amazon.
